Prophecy by Sharon Green Page B

started doing the same almost two days ago, and he’d noticed differences in his perceptions only hours later. In some definite way the world had changed for him, having grown brighter and clearer and easier to comprehend. That would be the basis of the suggestion he would make concerning the search for their enemies, a way to pick them out from the crowds they were hiding among…
    “No, Alsin, don’t start a fight with him now,” Lorand said quickly, having had just enough time to step in front of the man and block his path to Vallant. “I know how angry you are, but you have to put that aside and listen to what’s being said. The Five have guardsmen hiding among the people out there, and we need to weed them out and neutralize them.”
    “How much of this am I supposed to take without saying anything?” Meerk demanded in a hiss, keeping his voice down with difficulty as he glared at Lorand. “
I
know he’s doing it on purpose to show me who the important one around here is, and I don’t happen to agree with that stance. It’s more than time that he and I—”
    “No,” Lorand interrupted, before Meerk could work himself up to an even higher pitch. “It isn’t time for anything but looking for our real enemies, and you’d better get that through your head. And I know it looks to you as if Vallant is doing things like this just to goad you, but that doesn’t happen to be the case. Don’t you know he was the captain of a trading ship before he was sent to Gan Garee? Taking charge and giving orders is second nature to him, especially when there’s danger in the offing. If he thinks about you at all it’s only in relation to Tamrissa, and that relationship doesn’t apply right now.”
    “Of course it does,” Meerk disagreed, but with less anger and more control. “He’s trying to make me look small in her eyes, like less of a man and therefore unfit to court her. You can’t tell me you don’t know how these things work—”
    “Stop it,” Lorand interrupted again, beginning to be more than a little annoyed. “You’rejust trying to work yourself up again and you know it. It isn’t as if Tamrissa has a shining and hero-worshipping picture of you that Vallant is in the process of tarnishing. She knows exactly who and what you are, and Vallant is giving her enough trouble without you adding to it. Don’t you think things would be easier for her if she didn’t have nonsense to cope with from both of you?”
    Meerk made no answer to that, at least not in words. What he did do was frown a bit before his brows went up, as though he’d just gotten an idea. Lorand didn’t know what that idea could be, but as long as Meerk’s pulse stopped racing and pounding and his muscles relaxed, it had to be considered good rather than bad.
    “So can we count on you to help us out while we go searching for those guardsmen?” Lorand pursued, intent on getting Meerk to give his word. “We’ll be doing it in our Blending, which means we’ll need someone to be in charge while we’remostly out of it.”
    “Of course, of course I will,” Meerk agreed hurriedly, now almost a different man. “But why don’t you simply go out and tell those people about the guardsmen, and get
them
to point out the strangers? That way there won’t be any mistake.”
    “I wish we could,” Lorand said ruefully—and with a lot of relief. “But think about what we would have to tell them: there are people among you who are representatives of the Seated Five, here to do us harm because we mean to unseat the Five. You’ve gotten to know
them
over the last day or two and you don’t know most of
us
at all, but we still want you to betray them to us… I really don’t think that will work.”
    “No, I’d have to agree with that assessment,” Meerk said with matching ruefulness as well as a headshake. “They’d be more likely to turn on us than help us, and that despite your presence among us. But how will you know if you get